Here's why Eagles aren't worried about Mike Wallace ... yet

Updated September 14, 2018 at 6:33 AM;Posted September 14, 2018 at 6:30 AM

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 06: Mike Wallace #14 of the Philadelphia Eagles attempts to catch the ball as he is defended by Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field on September 6, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Brett Carlsen | Getty)

Now he's four years older, wiser, and as confident in his own abilities as he's ever been, even at 32 and in Year 10 of his NFL career. The Eagles signed Wallace to a one-year deal this summer, angling for an upgrade on the outside from Torrey Smith, who never gained traction last season as a deep threat.

He didn't show that in the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Falcons, failing to record a catch in three targets. That came on the heels of an already unproductive preseason.

Yet, he didn't fret.

"I think we'll be fine," Wallace said Monday. "I've been playing for a long time. I'm not panicking over one game. I think we'll be fine. I think those big plays will come from everybody. No one had the big plays that they wanted."

There are still reasons to remain optimistic about Wallace going forward, too.

Even though he went catch-less, Wallace still contributed and flashed that deep threat ability he was signed for. He drew a pass interference penalty on Desmond Trufant to set up a Jake Elliott field goal. In the second half, he got deep on safety Keanu Neal but Foles underthrew him.

Per The Athletic, Wallace reached max speeds of 20.6 and 21.0 mph, respectively, on his other two targets. He only reached those speeds once in all of 2017.

"We had some chances down the field and didn't capitalize on them," offensive coordinator Mike Groh said.

The Buccaneers should be an easier target for Wallace anyway -- they already lost one starting cornerback (Vernon Hargreaves) for the season and the other (Brent Grimes) is injured and might not play on Sunday. In their absence, Wallace would likely be up against one of two rookies in M.J. Stewart or Carlton Davis.

Last week, Saints receiver Ted Ginn -- who is mostly a deep threat, like Wallace --had five catches for 68 yards and a 28-yard touchdown.

If Wallace can reach that level of production, it would open up the Eagles offense, especially as Alshon Jeffery continues to miss time recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

"We know that we've got to create more explosive plays and push the ball down the field," Groh said.

The key: getting Foles and Wallace on the same wavelength. Further: Foles has to play better than he did in Week 1, when he only passed for 117 yards and never found a rhythm.

The Eagles quarterback, who will start again in Week 2 as Wentz continues to recover from December knee surgery, feels like he and Wallace are "really close" to connecting, he said.

"It's just something we can't worry about. Everyone's gonna say 'well he didn't have a catch'," Foles said on Wednesday. "The big thing is we're continuing to work everyday in practice. He's a dynamic player. We've seen what his speed is.